Detachably mounted archery bow stabilizing device



United States Patent Inventor Owen E. Jeffery Grayling, Michigan March25, 1968 Aug. 18, 1970 Victor Comptometer Corporation a Corp. ofIllinois Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee DETACHABLY MOUNTED ARCHERYBOW STABILIZING DEVICE 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 124/24, 124/30 Int. Cl F41b 5/00 124/23, 24,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 645,057 3/1900 Ayers et al248/18 3,412,725 11/1968 Hoyt l24/30X Primary Examiner Richard C.Pinkham Assistant Examiner- William R. Browne Attorney- Emory L. Groffand Emory L. Groff, .lr.

Patented Aug.. 18, 1970 ATTORNEY DETACHABLY MOUNTED ARCHERY BOWSTABILIZING DEVICE This invention relates generally to an archeryaccessory and more particularly to an inertial stabilizer adapted to bereadily attached to practically all types of archery bows for thepurpose of reducing vibration and torque of the bow during shootingthereof with the result that a far more consistent and accurate cast maybe obtained by the archers arrows.

One of the heretofore unavoidable occurrences following the archer'srelease of an arrow has been the tendency of the bow to be laterally androtationally displaced, that is, the handle section of the bow moves ina vibrating manner in a direction away from the arrow as it passesaround the bow handle. Inasmuch as the ultimate cast of the arrow isaffected throughout the time the bow string is moving from its retractedposition to its forwardmost position due to the constant pressureexerted on the arrow nock by the bow string, it follows that anyconcurrent rotational displacement of the handle section or arrow restof the bow during this period must ultimately affect the resulting castof the arrow; accordingly it will be readily appreciated that anyefforts made to inhibit or dampen this displacement of the bow byincreasing the stability thereof will be a great advantage to thearcher.

Efforts have been made in the past to achieve the foregoingaccomplishment by the provision of weighted elements rigidly attached byvarious means to either face of the bow and even the sides thereof;however for the most part these prior efforts have fallen short ofproviding the necessary stabilizing and dampening action required toachieve the most consistent and accurate arrow passage from the bow. ltis known that a limited degree of bow rotation is necessary to insureproper passage of the arrow from the bow, and without the use of anystabilizing means at all this bow rotation occurs in too great a degreeand begins too early following the arrow release thereby precluding asmooth follow-through during release of the bow string. In other words,it has been established that inertia stabilizing means is definitely anadvantage; however to be entirely satisfactory it must provide theproper dampening action while not restricting the necessary bowrotation.

To create a faster dampening action by counteracting the shock andvibration of the bow limbs after the arrow is released several variablesmust be taken into account, namely the bow weight, arrow mass weight,arrow spine and the archers bow grip and arrow release. All of theforegoing must be considered in the provision of stabilizer means for anarchery bow. Quite obviously, neither the manufacturers or the archerswould consider maintaining a stock of an infinite number of heavyweighting components in order to provide required inertial stabilizationwhen confronted with any one of the numerous shooting circumstances. Acompromise system has been previously offered wherein an adjustablypositioned weight may be rigidly attached to the back face or sides ofthe bow. Such an arrangement would provide the selection of variousinertial turning moments available under certain conditions, but wouldfail to create the desired rapid damping action so necessary to insurethe most true arrow flight and would not encompass all of the possibleshooting circumstances likely to be encountered.

Accordingly, one of the primary objects of the present invention is toprovide an improved inertial stabilizer adapted for use with an archerybow.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an archery bowstabilizer creating a faster dampening action upon release of the arrow,whereupon delayed vibrations are subsequently set up to offset thenatural vibrations of the bow.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an inertialstabilizer for an archery bow including a coupling assembly permittingthe interchange of selected dampening elements to accommodate variousshooting circumstances.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an archerybow stabilizer including a weighted head removably attached to the bowin an isolated manner by means of a shock cushion assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an inertialstabilizer for an archery bow including a weighted head supported uponthe bow without any rigid metal contact between the weighted head andthe archery bow.

With these and other objects in view which will more readily appear asthe nature of the invention is better understood the invention consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully described illustrated, and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a general arrangement of thepresent invention as applied a to an archery bow.

FIGURE 2 is a partial side elevation, with portions partly in section,and discloses the present invention as mounted upon an archery bow.

FIGURE 3 is an exploded side elevation, partly in section, of thepresent invention.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 4-4 ofFIGURE 2.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing, more particularly FIGURE 1, the inventionwill be seen to comprise an inertial stabilizer, generally designated 1,projecting from the back face of an archery bow 2 at a point immediatelybelow the hand grip. The exact positioning of the stabilizer forms nopart of the present invention, as quite obviously it could be affixed toany one of other areas of an archery how. The object of a stabilizer isto provide a weighted head 3 of significant mass on the outer end of aan elongated arm or rod 4 which is secured at its other end to the bodyof the bow 2. It has been found that to merely directly attach thethreaded support end 5 of the rod 4 to the bow provides a stabilizingdevice which falls far short of achieving the optimum results when usedby the archer due to the excessive vibrations set up in the bowimmediately following the release of the arrow and before the arrow hascompleted its passage across the arrow rest, which action creates aninstability in the movement of the arrow that is hardly corrected by thedelayed stability set up in the bow when the stabilizer actions becomeapparent. The present invention, however, includes an isolated shockcushion mounting of the stabilizer rod 4 to the body of the bow suchthat a much more rapid dampening action will take effect and theabsorbed forces in the weighted head 3 will be released as delayedvibrations to offset the natural vibrations of the bow immediately priorto the arrow shaft leaving its contact with the arrow rest portion ofthe bow.

As shown in FIGURE 3 a weighted head 3 is provided with internal threads6 adapted to engage the threaded head stud 7 which is attached to therod 4 by means of a collar 8. The rod 4 is preferably of tubularconstruction as shown at 9, the object of which is to reduce as much aspossible the weight of the rod itself thereby concentrating as much ofthe resulting inertial force as possible to the weighted head 3removably at} tached to the outer end of the rod 4. The inner end of therod is equipped with an externally threaded stud 5 and may include asuitable nut 10 to assist in the assembly and disassembly of thestabilizer.

The weighted rod 4 is attached to the bow 2 by means of a mounting base11 having a threaded stud l2 axially extending from one end thereof. Asshown in FIGURE 2 a suitable insert 13 is embedded within the bow at thedesired point of attachment for the inertial stabilizer, and in thisinstance includes a threaded aperture into which the stud 12 of themounting base 11 may be threaded. Thus, it will be understood that themounting base 11 will be the sole component of the stabilizer which willbe rigidly attached in a nonvibratory manner to the body of the bow.Cooperating with the mounting base II which includes an inner well 14having internal threads therein is a plug cap, generally designated 15,which in turn includes a depending skirt 16, the outer walls of whichare formed with an external thread providing a mating fit with thethreads 17 comprising the side wall of the well 14. The outer face 18 ofthe plug cap 15 includes a central aperture 19 which communicates withthe cavity 20 within the skirt of the cap and also forms a shoulder 21which will be seen in FIGURE 3 to extend inwardly a greater distancethan the inner wall of the cavity 20. The outer portion of the plug capalso includes a knurled periphery or rim 22 to enable ready manualassembly, adjustment and removal of the plug cap 15 with respect to themounting base 1 1.

Prior to assembly of the plug cap and mounting base a compressiblesleeve type bushing 23 formulated of any suitable elastomeric typematerial is positioned within the cavity 20 of the plug cap 15. Thecentral portion of the cylindrical sleeve or bushing 23 is provided withan axial bore within which is disposed a threaded tubular insert 24, thethreads of which mate with the male threads on the support stud of therod 4. As will be clearly seen in FIGURE 3 the insert 24 which issecurely mounted within the bushing 23 is flushly disposed with respectto the outer end 25 of the bushing while the opposite end of the insertis set back or recessed from the inner end 26 of the bushing to providean insert clearance 27.

Certain requirements are necessary to insure satisfactory operation ofthe above described isolated shock cushion mounting components. First,the outer diameter of the compressible bushing 23 is selected to providea close sliding fit with the walls of the cavity 20 of the plug capwhile the overall axial length of the bushing 23 is of an extent greaterthan the interior axial dimension of the plug cap from the inner surfaceof the shoulder 21 to the free edge of the skirt 16 such that when thecompressible bushing 23 is inserted within the cavity and the outer endthereof abuts the shoulder 21 of the cap then the inner end 26 willproject outwardly from the bottom of the skirt 16 a measurable amount.In the normal unstressed condition the previously described clearance 27between the inner end of the threaded insert 24 and the inner end of thesleeve bushing 26 will exist as shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing.Likewise, the inner periphery of the cap which forms the aperture 19 isof a diameter substantially greater than the outer diameter of the outerend of the tubular element 24 such that the compressible material of thebushing will, at all times, preclude metal to metal contact at the outerend of the assembled plug cap and compressible bushing.

The shock cushion mounting assembly is completed by joining the plug cap15 having the bushing 23 therein to the mounting base 11 by means of thecooperating threads thereon, it being understood that the axial lengthof the skirt 16 is preferably greater than the axial extent of the well14 in the mounting base 11 in order to prevent contact between theundersurface of the rim 22 of the cap and the free outer edge of thejuxtaposed portion of the mounting base 11 when all components are fullyassembled. While assembling these components it is only necessary toturn the cap 15 by means of the knurled rim 22 with the fingers untilthe inner end 26 of the compressible bushing 23 engages the planarbottom wall 28 of the mounting base well 14. At this point a substantialresistance is met to the continued tightening of the plug cap; howeverdue to the elastomeric property of the resilient portion of the bushing23 it will be understood that by increasing the effort required to turnthe rim of the cap 15 this cap may be further rotated and thus moveddownwardly toward the bottom wall 28 of the mounting base 11, duringwhich continued tightening the body of the resilient portion of thebushing will be substantially compressed due to the force exerted by theshoulder 21 on the cap and the captivating wall 28 of the base 11.Inasmuch as the tubular insert 24 is rigidly affixed to the compressibleportion of the bushing 23 and the outer periphery of the bushing 23initially provides a close fit with the walls of the cap cavity 20, itwill follow that this compression of the bushing material will primarilyresult in a flattening of the inner end 26 thereof to radially andinwardly dis,- place the resilient composition into the area formerlyforming the insert clearance 27.

The foregoing assembly operation results in a highly densified yet stillresilient support of the threaded tubular insert 24 within the confinesof the plug cap 15 and mounting base 11 without the presence of anymetal to metal engagement between the tubular insert 24 and the othermetal components of the assembly with the fixed mounting base 11. Inorder to attach the stabilizer rod 4 and its mounted head 3 to the shockcushion mounting the support stud 5, at the end thereof is threaded intothe tubular insert 24 until the shoulder formed by the rod nut 10 whichengages the outer end of the tubular insert. Quite obviously, the axiallength of the stud 5 is short of the overall length of the tubularinsert 24 to insure that there is no metal to metal contact between thefree end of the stud 5 and the bottom wall 28 of the mounting base 11even when the plug cap has been fully tightened within the mountingbase.

The thus assembled stabilizer device may then be readily attached to thebow 2, for example, by engaging the mounting stud 12 connected to themounting base 11 with the threaded insert 13 securely anchored withinthe body of the bow.

in view of the foregoing description, several features will now bereadily appreciated. Quite obviously, heads 3 of different masses may bequickly attached to the stud 7 of the stabilizer rod 4 to alter theinertial characteristics of the device according to the shootingconditions being encountered, and when the proper weighted head 3 isselected will serve in a superior manner due to the substantiallylighter mass of the hollow or tubular rod 4 which places the maximummass at an extended position from the bow itself. Another variable isthe length of the tubular rod 4 itself, which may of course be alteredto place the weighted head 3 at different lengths from the bow 2. Theunique construction of the isolated shock cushion mounting of thepresent invention also provides for another variable component. Thedensity of the compressible bushing 23 as used between the mounting base11 and plug cap 15 may be altered, whereby the stabilizing effect of anyone rod 4 and head 3 will be determined by the density of the specificcompressible bushing 23 being used. This important variable will bereadily appreciated when it is understood that the material forming theresilient portion of the bushing 23 is the sole connecting means for theentire mass of the head 3 and rod 4 and the bow-attached mounting base11.

I claim:

1. An inertial stabilizer for an archery bow comprising, a weight means,a mounting base having an inner well provided with a bottom wall andthreads and adapted to be secured to a bow, a cap having a centralaperture and a threaded skirt so that the cap may be the threadablyattached to the mounting base, a resilient elastomeric cylinderpositioned within the skirt and having a bore supporting the weightmeans, the portion of the cap surrounding the aperture constituting ashoulder that engages the upper end of the resilient cylinder, saidresilient cylinder extending the length of the inner well and bearingagainst the bottom wall of the well at one end and against the cap atthe other end, said weight means being anchored within said bore of saidresilient means and extending outwardly therefrom through said aperture,whereby said weight means is supported in a manner fully isolated fromsaid cap and said base by said resilient means.

2. An inertial stabilizer according to Claim 1, wherein, said weightedmeans includes a head attached to the outer end of a rod, threads on theinner end of said rod, and means in said resilient means for removablyattaching said threaded portion of said rod to said resilient means,whereby, metal to metal contact is excluded between said rod and base.

3. An inertial stabilizer according to Claim 2, wherein, said rod is ahollow tube.

4. An inertial stabilizer according to Claim 1, wherein said bore ofsaid resilient cylinder is provided with a rigid insert and saidweighted means is connected to said insert.

5. An inertial stabilizer according to Claim 1, wherein said resilientcylinder is of compressible material having a rigid insert disposedwithin said bore, and said weighted means is connected to said insert.

disposed within said bushing, said cap including a skirt having aninternal cavity, and the diameter of said aperture is less than thediameter of said cavity and greater than the outer diameter of saidinsert, weighted means connected to said insert and extending outwardlytherefrom and through said cap aperture, and threaded connecting meanson said cap and base selective to permit adjustment of the axialdisplacement between said cap and base, whereby, adjustment of saidconnecting means alters the compression of said resilient means.

